Progressive Politics from Memphis

Did Harold Ford Sr. Break the Law? Updated

As I noted earlier today, and as the CA reported this morning, there are real questions as to whether Harold Ford Sr. broke the law when he voted in the Mayoral election last week.

Here are the requirements for the Homestead Exemption in the state of Florida that Ford reportedly used on his $2.5M home in Miami Beach, FL. Look at #3:

How long have you been a legal resident of the State of Florida? (A Declaration of Domicile or Voter’s Registration will be proof of date before January 1.)

Here is an example of a Declaration of Domicile, for those of you who aren’t sure.

Here are the requirements for someone to maintain their voter registration in Tennessee.

So the question becomes, if Sr. did receive this Homestead Exemption, then he must have decided to make Florida his home by filing a Declaration of Domicile. This would, at first glance, make him ineligible to vote in Tennessee.

On the flip side, if Sr. is not a resident of Florida, did he break the law by applying for and receiving this Homestead Exemption in violation of the clearly stated regulations?

Hopefully these questions will be answered in the coming days.

Finally, a word about home and business ownership versus residency: An individual can own homes and businesses in any number of states, but that individual can only be a resident of one state at a time period. Utilizing the spoils of one state, spoils that require residency, while claiming residency in another to exercise your political power to affect an election is fishier than an Alaskan Crab boat.

If Harold Ford Sr. wants to vote in Memphis, he needs to give the State of Florida its $25k back. If he wants his money, he needs to remove himself from the voter rolls of Shelby County and finally bid us adieu. Either way is just fine with me, but this cake and eat it too scenario smacks of an air of entitlement that has spoiled the leadership of this city for far too long.

Update: Since posting this last night, the CA reports that Sr. is unsure of his eligibility and is exploring the details with his attorneys, reportedly willing to go so far as to refuse the $25k Homestead Exemption that he applied for to ensure his ability to screw with Memphis for years to come. Kudos to you HFS, but personally, I would’ve gone for the $25k.